Erdogan urges Saudis to identify mastermind of Khashoggi’s killing

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan prodded Saudi Arabia on Friday to identify the mastermind behind the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, local media reported.

The remark came a day after Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said the killing of the Washington Post columnist was premeditated, in the latest shift in the Saudi version of the case.

Erdogan had said Khashoggi’s death was the result of a planned operation, rejecting Saudi Arabia’s claim that he died accidentally after getting into a tussle with people in the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2.

Saudi officials had offered differing statements regarding the dissident journalist’s case, while Turkish officials have said from the beginning that he was killed with premeditation and his body was dismembered by a team of Saudi operatives dispatched from Riyadh.

The Saudi government initially asserted Khashoggi had left the consulate, but it confirmed on Oct. 20 that he had died, adding 18 Saudis had been detained and five officials fired.